Music is powerful. I listen to music 24/7 (or as much as I possibly can). It helps with my overstimulation problem. Sounds can really bother me, so having control over what I hear helps ground me. Music is something I can nestle into and find comfort. It lights up my mind and gives me inspiration. It helps to define me. When I hear the music I listen to, it reminds me of who I am. It triggers memories of the times I heard those songs and brings me nostalgia. Music is powerful.
Music is personal to me. I’m shy about it. I create playlists that are thousands of songs long that I will never share, not even with my closest friends, because it is personal to me. Part of it is a fear of being judged, but another fear is this idea that I will lose it. Sometimes when I share stuff, it starts to feel like it doesn’t belong to me anymore. I know it’s a foolish idea, but I can’t help but feel that way, especially with music.
Still, I want to share. I love the music I listen to and think that sharing music can create community around it. But I’m frightened to share because music is my safe space. If I let other people into it, I might lose that. Still, I think in small ways I can share, and I want to, because it is such a big part of my life. Even though I don’t create music, I think music defines who I am.
When I write, I always have music on. I turn certain songs on during scenes that fit them. Something fast and intense for fight scenes and soft songs for emotional moments. I’ll have songs that fit certain characters, or certain scenes in my novel. When I’m in the throes of world-building or brainstorming, songs help fuel the flame of creativity.
Music is also good for meditation. Sometimes when life gets to be too much (as it often does), I’ll lay in bed in the dark (or with fairy lights on) just listening to music. It’s extremely peaceful. Often my mind wanders, but music keeps me calm. It’s a coping skill.
Music helps me imagine chasing after dragons with a cool soundtrack.
… To be honest, music just keeps me sane. When I go outside in public, I get dissociated and one of the few ways to keep me in the present is by listening to music. When I’m upset, music is a comforting blanket I wrap around myself.
How does one express a love for something so deep?
I don’t need to sell you how good music is. You already know it is. Everyone has music they listen to. I’m sure plenty of you on here play music, create music. All I know is that music touches the soul, it coaxes the creative flame out of hiding. It reminds you of why you want to be alive.
I dream about music sometimes. It follows me into sleep as I slumber while listening to music. It follows me wherever I go. It beats with my heart. It sleeps inside my soul and comes alive when it finds its dance partner.
What music do you listen to? I listen to anything that I vibe with. I discover songs on YouTube. I have a very specific way of doing things. I find a song, open it in a private tab, listen to it, and if I like it, it gets added to a playlist. This way I never add songs I don’t like to my algorithm (to be honest, this is probably one of my OCD rituals).
It’s hard to talk about music while also wanting to hide what you love about it so much. It’s just mine. My music is mine, and that’s all there is to it. It’s mine, and it colors my world in a rainbow of sound. It touches my soul and brings me joy. It’s beautiful and everything to me.
Is your music very personal to you? To me, it’s such an intimate thing and sharing it with anyone is such a big step. Still, I’m going to share a playlist today, because I want to let people know me. I want them to know the beautiful and strange things about me, even if it terrifies me.
What does the music you listen to say about you?
Ironically (since I’m a writer), I don’t care about the lyrics to songs much. Now there’s always the occasion where a song’s lyrics move me, but I tend to make my own meanings out of songs. Maybe that’s because I listen to a lot of songs in other languages, so I’m mostly just experiencing beautiful sounds instead of the meanings behind them. I think that’s beautiful in its own way, that I’m able to make my own meanings out of a song.
What’s your favorite song?
-Aether
Aetherias Moon 
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